Miles Kendig knows too much. One of the CIA’s
top international operatives, he suddenly finds himself
relegated to a desk job in an agency power play. Unwilling
to go quietly, Kendig, with the aid of a chic Viennese
widow, puts himself back in the game by writing a memoir
exposing the innermost secrets of every major intelligence
agency in the world. The CIA wants Kendig dead, but he
refuses to cooperate—he’s having too much fun. Based on
Brian Garfield’s best-selling novel, and starring the
inimitable comic team of Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson,
Ronald Neame’s Hopscotch is a smart and stylish tale
of international intrigue and a cat-and-mouse comedy.

***

"Hopscotch" is a shaggy-dog
thriller that never really thrills us very much, but leaves
a nice feeling when it's over. That's partly because of the
way Walter Matthau fools around with dialogue until he wears
it well, and partly because the movie's shot at a measured,
civilized, whimsical pace. It's a strange thing to say about
a thriller, but "Hopscotch" is . . . pleasant.

The movie's based on a best seller by Brian Garfield, the
author of Death Wish, and his hero once again is a guy who
single-handedly takes on the establishment. But while the
Charles Bronson character in "Death Wish" hunts down and
kills muggers, the Matthau character in "Hopscotch" mostly
wants to toy with his enemies - to frustrate them with his
superior cunning.

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per
second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 1.0)

Subtitles

English, None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: The Criterion Collection

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Video introduction featuring interviews with director Ronald
Neame and novelist and screenwriter Brian Garfield (21:50)
• Original theatrical trailer and teaser
• The original television audio track, remixed for family
viewing, presented as an alternate audio track

DVD Release Date: August
20th, 2002Keep Case

Chapters 14

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Comments

I can remember
that when Ronald Neame's "Hopscotch" was first announced for
release by the Criterion Collection, the internet communities
that kept track of such things met it with a decidedly
unenthusiastic response. Well, that's not exactly true. Instead
they screamed bloody murder. I was more than a bit dumbfounded
by this at the time. Having only seen a few Neame films, I had a
generally warm opinion of his work and even regarded "The
Horse's Mouth" as brilliant. Additionally, the film stars the
incomparable Walter Matthau. Where could it go wrong, I
wondered? While, sadly my expectations came up short. It's not a
particularly good movie. But neither is it the monstrosity that
certain hyperbolic parties made it out to be. It's a fun enough
film if you're in the right mood, but it'll never be mistaken
for cinematic art.

Hopscotch’s
anamorphic transfers looks surprisingly good for its age and
date of production. To be sure, it’s far from perfect but it
does have a high degree of clarity. However, there is some
inconsistency in the grain. On one extreme appearances can
sometimes look slightly glossy, but other scenes can have a
slight amount of noise. There’s also a number of noticeable
instances of damage, but on the whole there isn’t much to
complain about here.

As per Criterion policy of the day, the disc comes with a
competent, but uninspiring English language Dolby Digital 1.0
track. There really are no problems to speak of (dialogue is
clear, no background noises), but just don't expect to be wowed
by it. Optional English subtitles are also included.

Aside from another one of their famous booklets, the diss's main
extra is an introduction to the film by Neame and Brian
Garfield, the author of the book that the film was based on.
Both obviously have a great deal to say about the film, and
anyone interested in "Hopscotch" will surely enjoy the
introduction as well. Aside from a pair of trailers, the only
other extra is the TV edit of the film. If curse words offend
you, then this cut is for you.

Overall, this is not one of Criterion's strongest releases, but
it's far from the apocalyptic auguring of Criterion's greatness
that many predicted it would be. Those interested may want to
check it out.